Liquid-fuel smelter



E. E. RUSHTON. LIQUID Fuel smania. APFLICATlON LED JULY l5. 191B. 1 ,3 1 4, 1 50 Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 3.

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EDWIN E. RUSHTON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO EMILIE HAND, OF

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

LIQUID-FUEL SMEL'IER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ano. 26, 1919.

Application filed Ju1y 15, 1918. Serial No. 244,873.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN ERNEST RUSH- 'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Liquid- Fuel Smelters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to smelters for ores of various kinds; and the object of the invention is to provide a liquid fuel smelter capable of handling various kinds of ores and capable of carrying on e'fliciently the desired smelting operations. It is also an object to provide an improved form of smelter furnace with certain improved features of construction and operation as hereinafter set forth.

The invention is best embodied in an inclined smelting chamber in which the ore is first heated and the metal then melted; and in the combination therewith of a system of air heating by regenerative means. This air heating system preferably takes the form of a double air heater whose parts are used alternately.

Other objects and features of the invention, and the invention itself, will be best understood from the following description in detail of preferred forms of furnace embodying the invention, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a preferred form of my improved furnace; Fig. 2 is a cross section taken as indicated by lines 2-2 on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is in partl a plan and in part a section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-'5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of amodiled form and arrangement of furnace; Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

and Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8 8 ofv Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, I illustrate therein a structure which may be generally composed of structural brick with an inner lining of fire brick and with a lining or bed of magnesite wherever desired. I build a structure which includes an inclined smelting chamber whose upper part forms an ore heating chamber -10l and whose lower part forms a melting chamber 1l. There is a baffle wall 12 between the two chambers 10 and 11; and the chamber walls converge toward the lower end so that the lowermost end of chamberl 11 is smaller than any other part of the whole chamber. The floor 12 of these chambers slopes toward a center l1ne as is shown in Fig.y 2 and the roof 13 is arched. The floor of chamber 11 may be lined with magnesite or other material as indicated at 14, the .floor being generally lined with a lining of irebrick as indicated at 15 in Fig. 1, and the roof being also lined as indicated at 16. At the upper end of this sloping and downwardly contracting smelting chamber there is a charging opening 17 which may be fed from a hopper or any other suitable means.

At the upper end of the chamber 10 there i are Vtwo openings 20, which lead into the upper ends of two regenerating chambers 21. These regenerating chambers 21 arey preferably .placed in a vertical position; although this is not necessarily the case and these chambers may be placed in horizontal or other position as is desired. However, for the most preferred arrangement I place these regenerating chambers in vertical positions where the openings 20 from the upper rear end of the smelting chamber may communicate directly with the upper ends of the regenerating chambers. These two regenerating chambers are built into the structure and are formed with inner surface linings of fire-brick or the like as shown at 22 and are divided by a wall 23 of like material. At their lower ends each of these regenerating chambers communicates with the rear end of the hot air tunnel 24 and also with a passage {iue 25. The two passage flues lead to the bottom of stack 26 through which the heated gases of combustion, etc. are discharged to atmosphere. This stack may be of sufficient height to create the draft necessary to the successful operation of the device; or a forced draft maiy be used if desired.

Passages 20 are controlled by doors 27 which are hung and operated in such a manner that when one of the doors is opened the other is closed. For instance, these two doors may be hung on .the ends of a cable 28 which passes over the sheaves 29 on shafts 30. These shafts 30 also carry sheaves 31 over which a cable 32 passes and on the ends of cable 32 hang doors 33 which control theflue passages 25. Any suitable means may he usedrfor @reciting these doorsA For A instance, all'ofthem may be operated by merely moving one end of cable 32 up and ldown. Or a connection 32a may be' extended from one shaft to a shaft .withacrank 372b Yinv convenient operating position. In

whatever manner the doors are operated, it f will be seen that whenever one of the doors of either pair isopened the otherrof thatV Vpairis closed g' and it will be seen that the two doors27 and 33 belonging to either regenerating chamber will be closed or opened at the same time. 4When one of these sets of 'doors is open lthen the heated gases VOfcombustion from the smelting chamber passI through the passage `20v and then pass downwardly through the brick checker work in Y that regenerating' chamber and then pass `throughl iiue passage 25 and .through the Y stack.` These gaseslheat thel brick checker work to a high temperature; and when this has beendone then the positions of the doors are reversed and thenjthose doors 27 and 33 :which have been opened are closed. At the i Sametime air is'admitted to the upper end ofV this regenerating chamber through the air pipe '36;eontrolled' by closedyand action ofthe ydampersmay be made automatic a driving connection 38zi between VaV damper and'one shaft 30-,

When the two doors 27 and 33V are thus closed andi: air admitted to theV upper end of the regenerating chamber, this air then lpas'se'sfV dwii vthrough the heated brick checker work and passes intov the4 hot air flue 24;' toits forward end.y 'Near the forward end. of the hot'air'iuecthere are air passages 40 which lead from the hot air lues to the sides ofgchamber 11; communicating with 'the chamber 11 at the side wallof the chamber directlyunder the arch of the roof.

These passages 40am controlled by'dampersl or other means,as indicated at 41; and they are'arranged so that with 'a plurality of these Spass'ages thereis provision for `feeding air into the chamber 11 at different heights;

of the damc so thatvby proper manipulation pers,etc., the air may be blown in over the surface of the material inthe chamberl and may be blown in at vseveral points so as to come into thorough and lintimate contact withfall of the parts of the material. Ad-

Vjacent the airA openings into chamber 11 I may: placek burner openings 45, through which burners 46 project flame intochamber 11.V These burners `preferablyproject their iiame 'diagonally inwardly and downwardly into the cham-ber 11"so as to direct the flame Somewhat @rewards @las 21.16 .length 0f y any suitablevalve, Y `as indicated at 37 The two valves on the.k two pipes 36'may-be interconnected as indicated fat 30. infEg 5and'so related that Y when'orie of "them is openedthe otheris through which thev air end of one of these in the stack, passing upwardly through pipe 50 and thence through communication 53 andA through vthe upper end of pipe 51 and I the chamber.' These burners being in proX- 65 imity to the: air openings,V draw Vtheir air from said openings, although some air for the burners may bedrawn through the burner openings 45." The melted metal may be taken off at the metal tap 47 at the lower end of chamber 11 while slag may be removed through a side opening or openings 40. I Babble openings or doors may; be "provided as indicated lat poses. Y v Y In the voperation of the Vsmelter vfurnace 49, for the usual purthe oreis fed throughopenings 17 and the chambers 10` and 11 are kept substantially full of material. The ore is heated in chamber 10; and `in this chamber Vit may be givenV a roasting treatmentif so desired.; or `the whole treatment in the smelter may befthat and 11 is continuous, the chamber being conn tinuously supplied with heated'air from one or the other of the regenerative= chambers; while the regenerative chambers are alternately heatedand cooled. However, in the form shown -in Fig. 6 and followingyI show a construction whereinthere is only ,a'single regenerative system which 4is kept in continu-V ous operation. This single regenerative system may comprise a plurality of air'fpipes passesv and VVaround which Vthe heated For instance, setl in the stack 26 and regeneratingV chamber 21. [Air may be blown/in at 52 at the low pipes, preferably theA one gases of 'combustion pass.

then downand out through communicating pipe 53 into hot airtunnel 243K In this case there is only one hot air tunnel, as shown at 24a; but otherwise the furnace construction may be `substantially the same as that hereinbeforei described.

two air pipes 501 and 51 may be"V y In Fig. 6 I also show air pipe55 through which air may be blown upwardly into'fstackv 26 tor-create aforced draft upwardlyfth'rough the stack. Y If so desired, the baffle wall" 12 may be hollow as'at 12aL and a burner 216ar may extend into the baffle wall and project ajame through1 openingta furnace chamber' 11. Therabble openings at 19 may be placed in suchpo'sition asto" be at or near the surface of the pile of'material in chamber lOethe material which is passing underthe baiiie' wall.. l

downwardlyA into the I-Iaving described a preferred form of my invention, I claim:

1. In smelting furnaces, a structure having an elongated chamber in a sloping p0- ,sitl'on' and having a sloping roof forming -ing an elongated chamber in a diagonal sloping position and having a sloping roof forming the upper side of the chamber, said chamber contracting toward its lower end and having a transverse baille wall depending from the sloping roof near its center dividing it into an upper heating chamber and a lower melting chamber, means to admit air to the lower melting chamber, and 'burner means in connection with the melting chamber.

3. In smelting furnaces, a structure having an elongated chamber in a diagonal sloping position and having a sloping roof forming the upper side of the chamber, said chamber contracting toward its lower end and having a transverse baille wall depending from the sloping roof 'near its center dividing it into an upper heating chamber and a lower melting chamber, means to heat air and to admit the heated air to the lower melting chamber, and burners projecting flame into the lower melting chamber.

4l. In smelting furnaces, a structure having an elongated chamber in a diagonal sloping position and having a sloping roof forming the upper side of the chamber, said chamber contracting toward its lower end and having a transverse baille wall depending from the sloping roof near its center dividing it into an upper heating chamber and a lower melting chamber, means to heat air and to admit the heated air to the lower melting chamber, and burners projecting Hame into the lower melting chamber; outlet means for withdrawing melted metal and slag from the lower melting chamber.

5. In smelting furnaces, a structure embodying a diagonal sloping elongated chamber with a continuous sloping floor which contracts toward its lower end, a baille wall across the upper part of the central portion of said chamber dividing the chamber into an upper or heating chamber and a lower melting chamber, there being burner openings in the opposite side walls of the chamber and said burner openings projecting inwardly and diagonally along the length of the chamber, Iand means to admit air to the lower melting chamber adjacent the burner openings.

6. In smelting furnaces, a structure embodying a diagonal sloping elongated chamber which contracts toward its lower end, a baille wall across the upper part of the central portion of said chamber dividin the chamber into an upper or heating Vc iamber and a lower melting chamber, said burner openings projecting inwardly and diagonally downwardly along the length of the cha-mber; a het air tunnel substantially horizontal under the sloping chamber, the structure containing passages leading from the hot air tunnel upwardly and discharging into opposite sides Iof the chamber adjacent the burner openings and at points spaced vertically apart; and means heated by heat from the furnace to heat air to pass to the furnace through the hot air tunnel.

7. In smelting furnaces, a structure embodying a diagonal sloping elongated chamber which contracts toward its lower end, a baille wall across the upper part of the central portion of said chamber dividing the chamber into an upper ore-heating chamber and a lower melting chamber, burner openings into the lower melting chamber, said burner openings projecting inwardly and diagonally downwardly along the length of the chamber; a hot air tunnel substantially horizontal under the sloping chamber, the structure containing passages leading from the hot air tunnel upwardly and discharging into opposite sides of the chamber adjacent the burner openings and at points spaced vertically apart; and means heated by heat from the furnace to heat air to pass through the hot air tunnel, said means embodying a pair of regenerating chambers with heat conducting means therein, and means to direct the heated gases of combustion from the upper end of the heating chamber through said regenerating chambers and means to direct air through said regenerating chamber.

8. In smelting furnaces, a structure embodying a sloping or heating chamber, means for admitting ore at the upper end of said chamber and heating means at the lower end of said chamber, a horizontal hot air tunnel under said chamber, the structure having air passages between the end of said hot-air tunnel and the lower part of the chamber, and a vertical regenerating chamber at the higher end of said ore-heating chamber and in communication at its upper end with said ore-heating chamber and at its lower end with said hot air tunnel.

9. In smelting furnaces, a structure embodying a sloping elongated chamber and having a sloping roof which forms the upper side of the chamber, a baille wall depending from the sloping roof across the upper-part of the centralportion of the chamber dividing the chamber into two parts, means to feed ore into the upper part, p

means to project heating -ame into the lower part, and means to deliver air into the lower part atpoints spaced apart along the length of the chamberl0.- Inl smelting furnaces, a structure embodying a sloping elongated chamber hav- Copies of this patent maybe obtained for l1. In smelting furnaces, a structureembodying a sloping elongated Vchamber-hav.`

ing a continuous sloping floorV and ,having a sloping roof, and av battle wall projecting downwardly from. the slopingvroo of V'the chamber into its central portion to divide the chamber into an :upper heating chamber i and a lowersmelting chamber, the -whole chamber contracting from its upper toits lower endl In witness that day of June, 1918.

Enwlu E. RUsHToN. Y

Y 25 .l I claimV the Vforegoin SI1 have hereunto subscribed my naine thisV 2 thv f ve cents each, byfaddressing the Corm1nissiiponer of Patents, Y Washington,'D. C. Y 

